Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Chicken Peanut Stew and Injera

I have wanted to make this recipe for awhile, and it definitely did not disappoint! While the cookbook says to serve it over rice, I really wanted to make injera. For those not familiar with Ethiopian food, Injera is a large, spongy flatbread used to scoop up stew.

This injera recipe is quick and good, but the product is not identical to what you find in Ethiopian restaurants. It uses buckwheat flour instead of teff, and isn't as sour. However, it still works really well and is a nice stand-in for the real thing

Chicken Peanut Stew

(adapted from Discovery of a Continent by Marcus Samuelsson)

1 medium white onion, sliced

1 carrot, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

2 jalapenos

1 2" piece ginger, peeled and sliced

1 by leaf

a few pinches white pepper

2 cups water

6 boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 4 pieces

1 cup unsalted peanuts

1 tbsp olive oil

1 baking potato, peeled and cut into 1" cubes

1 15 oz can diced tomatoes

1/2 tsp salt

10 oz spinach, washed well and stems removed

Combine the onion, carrot, jalapenos, ginger, bay leaf, white pepper, and water in a medium pot and bring to a boil over high heat.

Reduce the heat to medium, add the chicken thighs, and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes.

Add the chicken and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.

While the chicken is simmering, toast the peanuts in a small frying pan over medium heat until golden brown. Let cool, then grind 1/2 cup of them in a blender to make a smooth paste. Set aside.

Using tongs, remove the chicken from the cooking liquid and set aside.

Transfer the vegetables into a food processor (remove the bay leaf) and puree until smooth. Set the broth aside.

Heat the oil in a medium frying pan. Add the potatoes and saute until they are golden brown (about 15 minutes). Add the chicken pieces and brown them on all sides.

Stir the vegetable puree into the broth and bring it to a boil. Add the peanut paste and the remaining whole peanuts and stir to combine well. Add the tomatoes, chicken, potatoes, and salt, and simmer about 5 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings, then stir in the spinach until it is wilted.

Serve over rice or with Injera

Injera

(from Recipezaar.com)

1 cup buckwheat flour

1/2 cup white flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2-2 cups club soda

Combine flours and baking soda in a medium bowl.

Add club soda, and stir to form a thin batter.

Heat a large well-seasoned skillet until hot, then brush lightly with oil.

Using a ladle, pour a circle around the edge of the pan and tilt to cover the middle.

Cook for about 2 minutes, until the surface is covered with bubbles and no longer looks wet. Do not flip - just slide off onto a plate and repeat with remaining batter.

And...just because this is an African dish... here are two of my favorite pictures from when I was in Uganda in 2007: